Strickland backs closing loophole on sex-offender notifications

Add Gov. Ted Strickland's voice to those seeking a change in Ohio law that would require nursing homes to notify residents and family members when a sex offender moves in.

Add Gov. Ted Strickland's voice to those seeking a change in Ohio law that would require nursing homes to notify residents and family members when a sex offender moves in.

Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst said the governor has not seen proposed legislation that would close a loophole in state law that requires notification of residents within 1,000 feet when a convicted sex offender moves into the area. It does not require nursing homes to notify residents or families.

But Wurst said he "is supportive of requiring long-term care facilities to inform their residents when a sex offender moves into the facility. Ohioans should not receive less information in a nursing facility than they would receive in their own home."

Strickland joins Attorney General Richard Cordray and several lawmakers in advocating notification.

A Dispatch computer analysis showed that at least 110 sex offenders live in Ohio nursing homes, and six others work in them -- all without knowledge of most residents and their families.